Albert Whiggs Easmon (1865 – 21 May 1921) was a

Sierra Leonean Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people ( kri, Krio people) are an ethnic group of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole people are lineal descendant, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Sierra Leone Liberated African, Liberated Af ...

medical doctor and the half-brother of Dr

John Farrell Easmon John Farrell Easmon, MRCS, LM, LKQCP, MD, CMO (30 June 1856 – 9 June 1900), was a prominent Sierra Leonean Sierra Leone Creole people, Creole doctor in the British Gold Coast who served as Chief Medical Officer during the 1890s. Easmon ...

. Easmon was among the first group of Sierra Leoneans to qualify as a medical doctor after getting a degree from

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

. He became the leading gynaecologist in

Freetown, Sierra Leone Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

and had an extensive private practice.Adell Patton, Jr, ''Physicians, Colonial Racism, and Diaspora in West Africa'', University Press of Florida, 1996, p. 176.
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Background and early life

Albert Whiggs Easmon was born to Walter Richard Easmon (1824-1883) and Mah Serah, a Susu from modern-day

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. Albert Easmon's father belonged to a prominent Nova Scotian Settler

Easmon family The Easmon family or the ''Easmon Medical Dynasty'' is a Sierra Leone Creole medical dynasty of African-American descent originally based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Easmon family has ancestral roots in the United State ...

of Little East Street, Freetown. Albert Whiggs Easmon was the younger half brother of Dr.

, who was promoted to the position of

Chief Medical Officer Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...

of the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

Education

Albert Whiggs Easmon enrolled in Edinburgh University to study medicine; he qualified in 1895, graduating with

First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

Influenza epidemic

He was reportedly the only physician who did not contract influenza during the 1918-19

influenza epidemic Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...

in Freetown. According to his son Raymond S. Easmon: "Father had literally to doctor the whole city."

Paralysis and death

Soon after the epidemic, Easmon had a stroke that paralysed the right side of his body, leaving him bedridden for two years until his death on 26 May 1923, at the age of 56.

Family

Albert Whiggs Easmon had at least two children; Dr

Raymond Sarif Easmon Raymond Sarif Easmon (15 January 1913''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, p. 357. – 2 May 1997) was a prominent Sierra Leonean doctor known for his acclaimed literary work and political agitation. Background and early life Ra ...

and Maserae Easmon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easmon, Albert Whiggs Sierra Leone Creole people 1865 births 1923 deaths Albert Whiggs Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Freetown Sierra Leonean gynaecologists People educated in Freetown, Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean people of African-American descent Fourah Bay College alumni Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate people